Take it outside. For the next two months, that’s the top priority at nearly every Woodinville winery and tasting room. Summer is such a preciously short season here that we take every opportunity to bask in it. And around here, proper basking is done with a cool Chardonnay, a rich red or a hoppy IPA in hand. Add some live music and a riverside park and you’ve got the perfect summer evening trifecta: wine, weather and song.

In researching a consumer inquiry we came across two of the most well-known wine critics and journalists, Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher from the Wall Street Journal. Here are a few of the most common reader questions. We have adapted the answers to reflect a Woodinville Wine Country perspective.

For over 35 years, Brian Carter has been mixing it up: Old World traditions with Northwest fruit, 6 Washington AVAs with 12 different vineyards, and complex wine blends combined with the casual, friendly atmosphere of a little yellow tasting room in Woodinville’s Hollywood District.